What does a foreign language instructor do?
The responsibility of a foreign language teacher is to teach students any language that is not their mother tongue. They speak, write, and comprehend foreign language to students, which often includes cross-cultural studies and literature instruction. They teach at all education levels and in government and corporations. Those teaching at the college level requires an advanced degree like a doctoral degree or master's degree. They may also specialize in the language they want to become an expert in.
Foreign language instructor responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real foreign language instructor resumes:
- Distribute marketing materials to community organizations and businesses and lead community outreach strategy on behalf of ESOL department regarding various programs/schedules/opportunities.
- Design syllabus, class events, and study material to prepare students to succeed in the class.
- Develop course syllabus, curriculum and teaching materials.
- Develop an interactive and student centered Arabic language curriculum for teaching young learners basic Arabic communication, writing and reading skills.
- Counsele students on language skills, study strategies and goals, and recommend supplementary educational material for self-study and exam preparation.
- Distribute marketing materials to community organizations and businesses and lead community outreach strategy on behalf of ESOL department regarding various programs/schedules/opportunities.
- Deliver effective classroom presentation techniques and review, correct and reinforce instructional lessons to enhance the learning and retention process.
Foreign language instructor skills and personality traits
We calculated that 14% of Foreign Language Instructors are proficient in Tagalog, Classroom Management, and ILR. They’re also known for soft skills such as Critical-thinking skills, Interpersonal skills, and Resourcefulness.
We break down the percentage of Foreign Language Instructors that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Tagalog, 14%
Supervised and managed class; facilitated and taught conversational Tagalog including cultural aspects.
- Classroom Management, 12%
Led 3 person team to plan effective techniques for classroom management in immersion based environment.
- ILR, 11%
Train and instruct U.S. government language learners according to the ILR levels standard to reach their required language proficiency goals.
- Language Learning, 11%
Communicate with learners in an engaging, age-appropriate way, ensuring that language learning is both effective and fun.
- Language Teaching, 9%
Apply a communicative approach to language teaching and effectively communicate orally to teach foreign languages.
- Grammar, 7%
Integrated traditional grammar approach with reading comprehension text of Cambridge Latin.
Most foreign language instructors use their skills in "tagalog," "classroom management," and "ilr" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential foreign language instructor responsibilities here:
Critical-thinking skills. One of the key soft skills for a foreign language instructor to have is critical-thinking skills. You can see how this relates to what foreign language instructors do because "to conduct original research and design experiments, postsecondary teachers need to analyze information logically." Additionally, a foreign language instructor resume shows how foreign language instructors use critical-thinking skills: "develop lesson plans and curriculum guides that foster student learning in critical-thinking. "
Interpersonal skills. Many foreign language instructor duties rely on interpersonal skills. "postsecondary teachers need to work well with others for tasks such as instructing students and serving on committees.," so a foreign language instructor will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways foreign language instructor responsibilities rely on interpersonal skills: "conduct question-answer sessions among students in telugu language develop excellent interpersonal and cross-cultural communication skills. "
Resourcefulness. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of foreign language instructors is resourcefulness. This skill is critical to many everyday foreign language instructor duties, as "postsecondary teachers must be able to present information in a way that students will understand." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "demonstrated resourcefulness and developed ingenuity; overcame language barriers and trying working environments. "
Speaking skills. foreign language instructor responsibilities often require "speaking skills." The duties that rely on this skill are shown by the fact that "postsecondary teachers need good communication skills to present lectures and provide feedback to students." This resume example shows what foreign language instructors do with speaking skills on a typical day: "enhanced grammar, vocabulary, reading, listening, speaking, and writing skills. "
Writing skills. Another crucial skill for a foreign language instructor to carry out their responsibilities is "writing skills." A big part of what foreign language instructors relies on this skill, since "postsecondary teachers need strong writing ability to publish original research and analysis." How this skill relates to foreign language instructor duties can be seen in an example from a foreign language instructor resume snippet: "gained international perspective and increased cultural awareness assist students in developing pronunciation, reading and writing skills and assessed student progress"
The three companies that hire the most foreign language instructors are:
- CARE5 foreign language instructors jobs
- Leidos4 foreign language instructors jobs
- American Student Assistance1 foreign language instructors jobs
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Compare different foreign language instructors
Foreign language instructor vs. Spanish teacher
A Spanish teacher is responsible for teaching the Spanish language, including its history and culture, both written and conversational. Spanish teachers follow the curriculum, depending on the students' expertise level and evaluate their progress through oral and written assessments. A Spanish teacher must develop effective lesson plans, focusing on Spanish grammar and composition, identifying students' improvement areas to adjust lesson outlines. Spanish teachers must have excellent knowledge and expertise with the Spanish language and engaging activities to further students' development.
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between foreign language instructors and spanish teacher. For instance, foreign language instructor responsibilities require skills such as "tagalog," "ilr," "language learning," and "language teaching." Whereas a spanish teacher is skilled in "spanish language," "public schools," "student achievement," and "foreign language." This is part of what separates the two careers.
Spanish teachers earn the highest salaries when working in the education industry, with an average yearly salary of $53,431. On the other hand, foreign language instructors are paid more in the retail industry with an average salary of $63,087.spanish teachers tend to reach similar levels of education than foreign language instructors. In fact, spanish teachers are 2.4% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.4% less likely to have a Doctoral Degree.Foreign language instructor vs. Arabic teacher
An adjunct faculty member works in a state university or college. They typically work on a part-time or contractual basis. Although they work in a university, they have limited responsibilities compared to those who work as a regular instructor, but they still need appropriate work etiquette and a love of teaching and working with students. Like any other instructor, they develop learning material, conduct lectures, prepare exams, and assess students' grades.
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, foreign language instructor responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "tagalog," "ilr," "language learning," and "language teaching." Meanwhile, an arabic teacher has duties that require skills in areas such as "arabic language," "design curriculum," "foreign language," and "public schools." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
In general, arabic teachers achieve lower levels of education than foreign language instructors. They're 5.1% less likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.4% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for foreign language instructors in the next 3-5 years?
Larry Herzberg Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Asian Languages, Director of Asian Studies, Calvin University
Foreign language instructor vs. Instructor, adjunct faculty
A Spanish Instructor specializes in teaching the Spanish language in a classroom or one-on-one setting. Their responsibilities typically include preparing lesson plans according to the students' needs and capacity, researching and creating learning materials, facilitating discussions, conducting quizzes and examinations, organizing activities to enhance their language skills, grading the students' performances, and assisting students as necessary. Spanish Instructors monitor the students' progress while maintaining a safe and healthy learning environment for everyone.
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from foreign language instructor resumes include skills like "tagalog," "classroom management," "ilr," and "language learning," whereas an instructor, adjunct faculty is more likely to list skills in "course syllabus," "course curriculum," "learning outcomes," and "learning environment. "
Instructors, adjunct faculty make a very good living in the education industry with an average annual salary of $54,888. On the other hand, foreign language instructors are paid the highest salary in the retail industry, with average annual pay of $63,087.When it comes to education, instructors, adjunct faculty tend to earn higher degree levels compared to foreign language instructors. In fact, they're 9.6% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 3.9% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Foreign language instructor vs. Instructor of spanish
Types of foreign language instructor
Updated January 8, 2025
